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(CNN) – Things are sure hard to come by. And the 2020 NBA Draft is no different.
This year’s draft begins at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, and the hopes of many NBA franchises are based on the outcome of draft picks.
However, unlike in 2019, when Zion Williamson was a guaranteed first overall pick and Ja Morant a likely second overall pick, things are not certain in this year’s NBA Draft.
And in a year with the first virtual NBA draft, in a year in which the draft takes place 146 days after its original date of June 25, and only 34 days before the season begins on June 22. December, an NBA Draft sounds without any certainty. on the right.
Additionally, this year’s draft class has the potential to break the record (five) for the most African players selected in an NBA Draft.
Nigeria in particular is heavily represented, with seven players in this year’s draft class maintaining ties to the country. Kansas center Udoka Azubuike and Memphis forward Precious Achiuwa are from Nigeria, and five other potential recruits have at least one Nigerian father: Isaac Okoro (Auburn), Onyeka Okongwu (USC), Zeke Nnaji (Arizona), Daniel Oturu (Minnesota) and Jordan Nwora (Louisville).
READ: The new NBA season will begin on December 22
The Minnesota Timberwolves have the first overall pick, but no one is sure who they will pick. The Timberwolves themselves don’t know yet either.
Anthony Edwards of Georgia is considered by many to be the one who will land in Minnesota.
Considering the impact Williamson’s first overall pick of 2019 had on Duke, it remains to be seen if Edwards can spread stardust on the court in the same way.
However, Williamson is a potential talent one of a kind in a generation, and Edward’s advantage is such that he is still expected to be chosen first.
Edwards is a complex individual whose life history is fraught with tragedy. Both his mother and grandmother died during their teens, and his older sister and brother assumed guardianship.
The shooting guard did not perform in his only year of college basketball as many expected him to.
In addition to Edwards’ potential, it’s questionable whether the Wolves would select fellow prospect, 7-foot-1 center James Wiseman, given that Minnesota already has a 6-foot 11-inch All-Star and 2015 first overall pick Karl-Anthony Pueblos. .
Wiseman’s journey to the NBA has not been easy.
Following the unique model of attending a year of college before entering the NBA Draft, Wiseman, the highest-rated draft out of high school in 2019, played just three games for Memphis during his only year in college.
After the NCAA found out that Memphis coach Penny Hardaway paid Wiseman’s mother $ 11,500 to cover moving costs, Wiseman was suspended for 12 games.
Instead of serving his ban, Wiseman left Memphis, found an agent, and began preparing for the NBA Draft. Little did he know at the time that his preparation would last more than a year after his last game for Memphis on November 13, 2019.
Wiseman’s likely landing site will be the Golden State Warriors.
Having reached the NBA Finals for five consecutive years between 2015 and 2019, winning three titles during that time, the Warriors had one of their worst seasons in memory in 2019-20.
In the absence of stars Steph Curry, for most of the season, and Klay Thompson, through it all, the Warriors finished with a 15-50 record, the worst in the entire league.
Now that Curry and Thompson fit together again, the addition of Wiseman may put the Warriors back in contention.
The last player in the top three probably, but possibly the best known is LaMelo Ball.
Ball, the younger brother of 2017 second overall pick Lonzo Ball, has had a less conventional trip to the NBA.
Rather than attend an American university, Ball has played professional basketball around the world since he was 16 years old, first in Lithuania and most recently in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL), where he won the Rookie of the Year award. of the NBL in the 2019-20 season. .
His brother’s Lonzo Ball’s entry into the NBA was overshadowed by his father LaVar’s constant exaggeration towards his oldest son, saying that his son would not play for any team other than the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers signed Ball, but two years later he, along with many others, was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans for Anthony Davis.
In contrast, LaVar Ball has been much calmer this year before LaMelo’s entry into the NBA.
Fans and experts are divided on LaMelo’s potential. Many see him as the best prospect in this year’s draft, while others think he is overrated and has been promoted simply because of his path to the league and the notoriety of his family.
If Ball falls into the third pick, he’s likely to be chosen by the Michael Jordan-owned Charlotte Hornets.
A playoff for the Playoffs
Whichever team they choose, this short season will be like no other.
Just today, the NBA announced that this season will include a Play-In Tournament to determine the teams to fill the seventh and eighth seeded playoffs in each conference. A playoff for the Playoffs.
Once teams have played their 72 regular season games, a change from the usual 82, teams with the highest seventh to 10th highest winning percentage in each conference will battle for the remaining two spots for the NBA Playoffs. .
The teams with the seventh and eighth highest winning percentage in each conference will each have two chances to win a game to earn a spot in the playoffs. The teams with the ninth-highest and 10th-highest winning percentages in each conference will each have to win two consecutive games to earn a playoff spot.
Are you still with us?
The tournament will run for just three days between May 18 and May 21, 2021 before the 2021 NBA Playoffs take place between May 22 and July 22, 2021.
This story was first published on CNN.com, “2020 NBA Draft: Who Goes No. 1? LaMelo Ball? Anthony Edwards? James Wiseman?
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